Party Articles

How to Plan a Hen Party

So your friend is getting married and you are named the hostess of the Hen Party.
Your blood pressure rises, your nerves begin to get frazzled, you get tongue tied...

How are you supposed to tell the bride-to-be you are not up to this challenge?
Well don't worry, you won't have to! With our Hen Party Planning Steps we make things easy for you!

First Step: Decide who you think the bride-to-be would like to have attend her party.
Of course all of the bridesmaids will be included, and if you are not familiar with their names or addresses get a list from the brides mother, or other close friends.
Use these guests as a resource to obtain the names of others.
You will want to invite fun friends that the bride-to-be will be inviting to the wedding.

Second Step: Think about how many people are invited and try to decide on a plan of action.
Questions to ask which would all be rated on a scale of 1-5, 1 being "not at all" and 5 being "very much so"

How conservative is she?
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How would she respond to adult novelty party favours at the party?
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Would she enjoy a male stripper performance?
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Would she like to have a ghost hunt?
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Would she like to ride in a Limousine?
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Would she like air travel?
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Would she enjoy dressing up in costume?
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Would she like a weekend away trip?
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Third Step: After reviewing the answers to the above questions, you can start to plan what it is you will be doing, whether it be having a small
gathering of friends and inviting a Psychic for the evening to flying to Las Vegas for a weekend of all night parties! Try to keep in mind the ages of
the guests and whether or not you think they will be able to afford the festivities.

Fourth Step: The Invitations and what to include. There are many Online Shops that carry "Hen Party Invitations " that you can order and
send out in the mail. There are also email Invitations if you are fortunate enough to have the email addresses of those in attendance. Phone calls are
more personal, and if the party is large you can ask some of the other bridesmaids to help out by giving them a list of the details, and names and
phone numbers for whom to contact, just make sure all the RSVP's come back to you!

Depending on the party plans, it always seems easiest to ask for the guests Money in advance. Whether it be £30.00 for a simple In Home Party to £300.00 for a weekend getaway! Please make sure everything is spelled out for the guest including what will be included in the amount given.
For example, Does the amount given include a Gift for the bride-to-be, Food and Drink, Transportation, Tips, etc...

Next, tell them where you will meet with a map included for convenience.

General Tips:
If you are starting the party at home, you may want to ask the other Bridesmaids to help you with the cooking or Decorating so it's not
such a huge project. For example: One person could be assigned to be the games person, one person could make jello shooters, one person could make
the Cake, etc...

Don't be afraid to ask others for their help, it actually makes the party run a lot smoother!

Theme Parties are sure a lot of fun and sometimes easier to plan. For example: if the Bride is marrying a man from London you could create a Potato theme! Have everyone bring in the most unusually shaped potato they can find and have items available for decorating them.
Potato chips, potato salad, and any potato appetizers would all be appropriate! Potato vodka could be used for the punch.
Fill a Mister Potato Head with Walnuts and have the guests guess how many nuts he has! Make sure you have a fun present for the winner!

You could also go with a Career related theme, Country related theme, Drink theme etc... Games are a great way to break the Ice and get the party going! There are prepackaged games, books with games, or just made up games. Don't forget to include name tags if there are going to be people who don't know each other. You may tell them to write down there real names or to be creative and fun!

By following these easy steps, you can be the hostess of a very memorable and fun Hen party!